Week 4

Leadership, Leading,, Artistic Leadership.

This week we where task with programming! well our vision of what an ideal curated event would look like. Coming from an event background, i feel pretty confident in pushing talent and artist. When i was programing my own nights,, looking back there was a-lot to be proud of.. and also innovation that I feel was before its time but that has helped and given me the resources to guide my current practice.

Highlights,

Promoting female DJ’s,, Promoting black DJ’s who where into House and experimental predominately white genres (Tech House), promoting black DJ’s playing black music all while avoiding the restrictions and the problems many black promoters face. Inclusivity is a hard thing to publish, but i feel like i’ve done a pretty good job at it so far. Its no secret venues in London,, no matter how international it appears to be,, like hosting events that play black music, but when you really look back into history, House (Black Music), R’n’B / Hip-Hop all the west end clubs play (Black Music),, but they dont like black crowds.. so tips and tricks, lol a magician never reveals his secrets but knowledge is power and i’ll share how I got round it… one day! for now ill show you my current event proposed proposal and then you can take from it what you will.

The Venue,

Tate Modern,, why Tate,, I’ve always loved Tate as a Venue, I think the actual potential of it’s layout and spaces could be used to create something phenomenal. Plus, there Soul of a Nation exhibition was definitely a good one! Knowing that they have all-ready hosted events with black themes.. It’s a venue i would be pretty much be willing and open to working with in the future. Instead of having to deliberately wrap up the xmas presents with birthday paper (magician tip).. to be allowed to work with others. Side-note: luckily i was running events before the whole 696 form become popular! I started in 2012, and have never had to fill one in!.. and by the time they where in full swing trying to stop “black events” I was in Amsterdam. end. So now its 2021,, i feel like i’ve all-ready paid my dues to society, snuck into the back doors of many venues and deserve to be given the platform to demonstrate my work and work with venues who in fact want to challenge the oppressive systems within our society. Back to Tate.. Tate Late.. obviously,, I’m a clubkid,, everybody who knows me knows my days start at 1pm and finish at 7am. So I felt like the time of Tate Late, would situate nicely with what people expect from me and also those intrigued to see more of my work and what i’m doing now. Its a nice pre-party to a social and mixer that could happen after.

More than just an artistic rave!

So, Tate Late is the venue, described as a place where, art, music and talks comes together. As the music sorted,, lets get a bit deeper. So yeah, im Bi,, Polar haha. (Defo when I was younger going back to Tumblr did have that Bi-phase but then was like yeah im gay, however, sex is sex no matter who’s performing it) Anyway,, there is some amazing organisation out there to help Artist and Creatives like me. Core Arts in Hackney is one of them and the Recovery College is another. Being part of a community is extremely important to me, as well as giving back to the organisations that helped me along the way! The montage on the front page of this website, Made while at Core Arts, on their Developing Arts Practice Programme.

So yeah, my projects and all my ideas generated while on, before and after their programme as well as being part of the LGBT+ group and Black Mans Reference group are still in development. But!,, they are a Organisation I would heavily like to incorporate into my programming by Delivering and Facilitating workshops between them and the Recovery College, who also are pretty cool in the fact they facilitate classes for everybody with or without mental health meaning there is that open space between all our worlds. So long story short, the work and outcomes of the workshop I would incorporate into my Tate Late Night. (Example workshop here). Especially for me it runs a bit deeper than slapping a charity on something and being like yeah we are doing this to help blabla… NO! its about actively hands down in every-step of the process personally running, planning, participating, delivering and facilitating the work that is then to be brought into a wider context and event where people can come a see and… well the possibilities, potential and outcomes of such work are endless really. Before “Mental Health” was the latest trend, me and a-lot of people went through the stigmas, pressures and own personal journeys without the wider understanding there is today and by giving back and giving a “general opportunity” I hope to pay homage to those many journeys.

Amy Winehouse,, Back 2 Black.. Fun!

So I lied when I said the Music would be sorted please find attached my flyer below,, I would hope to have all the following artist performing to show that you can have Gay, Black, Urban, all under one roof. Plus,, not gay everyday sometimes, heteronormativity. as long as it’s not oppressive… its good to see both sides of the coin and have environments mix.. which leads me on to the final section!,,, Talks,, Now, this is the hardest part because there is so many people I want to put down but to save a whole essay on this blogpost i’m literally gonna try and keep it to the people who fit in to my current them of tackling homophobia and the notion “black masculinity”. I feel like by inviting some of the above artist’s it not only would show a sign of respect to the black gay community, but also open up wider discussion into this pre-concieved idea of “black masculinity” as well the separate idea of homophobia that associated with black identities in general. SOoOo,, basically for the talks part, I would invite the authors I have come across during my time trying to find an answer to the conundrum of my research… :)!

signs out

Levi x

flyer coming soon -